Sanity has to start somewhere

No distortions here, just facts. If the Israelis are so interested in peace, then why did AIPAC send 250 lobbyists to Capitol Hill to push US lawmakers to vote for war in Syria?

Pro-Israel U.S. lobbying group sets major push for Syria action | Reuters

BBM

And funny how Israel refuses to sign the chemical weapons accord...

It will be the UN, with all its due process.

Where is Hans Blix when you need him..............

The USA will possibly get fed-up waiting for the UN to do nothing - like the report on the chemical attack that took place last month.

Somebody needs to get their finger out if this proposal is going to be effective.

Cheers

Don

When interviewed yesterday, Assad said Syria did not have any chemical weapons. His foreign minister said they would agree with the Russian proposal. Looks like porkies are still on the menu.

Today ITV news reported that Syria has the largest stockpile of chemical weapons in the world.

Anybody here know the real facts ?

Cheers

Don

So Syria is willing to give up these non existent chemical weapons then?????

I didn't think Syria having chemical weapons was ever in question...

Assad definitely denied chemical weaopns in an interview on Sunday or Monday.

Cheers

Don

From an HP account of the Charlie Rose interview:

"There has been no evidence that I used chemical weapons against my own people," CBS reported Assad said in an interview conducted in Damascus.

I can't imagine them leaving out that he said that he did not have any - was it a different interview?

BBM,

You cannot just equate AIPAC with the actual policies of Israel. These US citizens are bent so hard over the security of Israel that they end up with views far more to the right than any Israeli government, past or present, ever had.

If it had shared AIPAC's philosophy that security always comes first and risk taking comes last, the state of Israel would have never relinquished the Sinai Peninsula in 1979 (Following the Camp David agreement), sign the Oslo Accords with the PLO in 1993, vacate completely the Gaza Strip in 2005 or enter peace negotiations with Syria which would require the return of the Golan Heights.

Personally, I think that anyone in the US who is urging his government to attack Syria is doing a disservice to his own nation as well as to Israel.

Haim

Today is Bashar al-Assad's birthday* (yep - September 11th, build a conspiracy theory forthwith!)

Perhaps they should send him a giant cake with François Hollande inside, toting a shotgun like Meth Damon Todd's uncle in Breaking Bad. 

Is anyone (else) reminded of an ancient TV programme called "Whoops Apocalypse" where the bloke from Butterflies played the Shah of Iran and Cleese was Lacrobat. Obama has become Johnny Cyclops.

Obama and Kerry have been absolutely pathetic (along with perma-hawk McCain); how can you be so absolutely and thoroughly outmaneuvered both politically and diplomatically by Putin & Lavrov, of all people?

No surprises here. The guy never showed any political skills in dealings with his own party, nor the Republicans or the world community. The only thing left for him to do is send Vladimir Putin a large bouquet of flowers with a sincere thank you note attached.

The earliest known chemical attack in Syria:

http://blogs.smithsonianmag.co...-years-ago-in-syria/

So there seems to be an agreement. Syria to provide a list of the chemical weapons and precursors it has within a week, seemingly Syria has about 1000 tonnes (yes, 1000), but it has until "mid-2014" to give them up!?  I wonder what comfort that with give to those on the other side of the civil war?

MDS

Well the other part is getting them out in the midst of a civil war...not quite as straightforward and much more difficult and time consuming than without a civil war.

As for the rebels, I imagine they're licking their chops at the thought of getting some (more?) for themselves during the time they will be on the move.

Pretty weak sauce for the US when you get diplomatically outmaneuvered by the former head of the KGB...who for the time at least gets some credit for potentially avoiding WW III...although I have faith in our ingenuity to come up with another excuse to invade someone or something.

Obama may have to drone some kids in Yemen to restore his feelings of machismo.

"The world is watching"

"Well, just smile- seven days, thirty days?!"

"Very good, I always knew you folks had a sense of humour"

From a system standpoint, the US never had a chance.  Here's Russian PM Medvedev...notice his CDP:

I bet Obama has a Bose Wave Radio...and Kerry can't figure out how to work his iPod.

Chemistry 

Mark,

You seem to have an enormour chip on your shoulder about your country and your government.

Isn't it about time you considered emmigrating ?

Cheers

Don